Improvements in cellular systems include enhancing throughput and coverage. To address these two issues, one trend is to deploy low power nodes (LPNs) and/or relays nodes (RNs), for example in the framework of Heterogeneous Network (HetNet). To improve throughput and coverage, the LPNs transmit cellular or wireless signals directly to user equipments (UEs), while the RNs relay cellular or wireless signals between base stations and UEs to improve throughput and coverage. However, deploying more LPNs and RNs, e.g., by operators, increase capital and operational cost. Overall cost may include installation, backhaul, and maintenance costs. Another trend is to use communications between UEs, also referred to in some scenarios as device-to-device (D2D) communications, to establish joint UE reception, where some of the UEs act as relays for other UEs to improve system throughput and coverage. However, exchanging information among the UEs can require substantial amount of power and resource. Joint UE reception using D2D communications can also increase the complexity of the network, e.g., using additional signaling, to ensure the reliable reception of transmitted signals. There is a need for an efficient scheme to support joint UE reception with UE-to-UE based relay systems.